Intermezzo
by Tim Nolan
Summary: Part 2 of a trilogy of stories centered on the Outer Senshi. These are manga based stories.


Intermezzo {1/1}  
  
  
A Sailor Moon story by Tim Nolan  
e-mail: nomad@cyberverse.com  
  
Please see comments following the story.  
  
This is part of a trilogy of stories about   
the Outer Senshi. The correct order they   
should be read in is  
1. Aftermath  
2. Intermezzo  
3. Advent   
  
These are based on the manga and not the anime.  
  
*************  
  
  
  
  
Intermezzo  
part two of a trilogy of Outer Senshi stories  
  
  
  
  
Silver cords linked the two combatants to machines   
behind them that were far faster and less prone to errors   
than their fickle human counterparts. Modern fencing was   
so fast a sport that it was necessary. A touch would   
complete an electrical circuit that would signal a   
score to the judges, who were busy determining who had   
the right of way and was able to attack.   
The shorter of the two smiled behind her   
wire-mesh mask. Her opponent was fast and skilled,   
and was a good work-out for her today. It would still   
take him a few more years to reach his prime, however.   
His opening pattern of feints had been clever,   
but he had yet to seriously challenge her defense   
without opening himself to her. She had already scored   
on him four times in the practice match. What seemed to   
be an opening would appear in her guard, but by the time   
he could react and attack, it was closed off and she   
was scoring on him with her epee.   
The last two had been more difficult than the   
first. He had gotten wise to her tricks, but it was   
not easy to resist the chance to even the   
score. Typical, she thought to herself. Yet another   
man who couldn't handle her being good at things they   
considered to be their specialty and became angry, thus   
losing any chance at victory.  
Her own flash of anger got the better of her   
before she could fully control it as she drove past   
him with a speed that he could never match. The tip of   
her epee dug into the light canvas of his jacket, the   
force of the blow making the blade bow upwards. The   
scoring system and the judges registered the touch and   
awarded her the match.   
She held out her left hand to him in a fencer's   
handshake after saluting him with the blade in her   
right and removing her helmet, as was customary. He   
almost didn't take it, but thought better of it and   
how it would reflect on his career with a dozen of   
the country's best fencing coaches watching, and   
perfunctorily shook it.   
Theirs had been the last match of the   
session. While the others talked or gathered their   
things prior to leaving, she accepted a few words of   
congratulations from some of the coaches or fencers   
she knew before making her way to the relative quiet   
at the far end of the room. She'd done something she   
shouldn't have during the match. Time to do her   
penance, she reprimanded herself.   
Back to the basics, she decided, and began to work   
her way across the room in series of practice thrusts   
with exaggerated care. Every move was textbook   
perfect. Back and forth she continued to go, even   
after the others had left.   
Baka. That was what she was. She was supposed   
to be fitting in with them and doing nothing to draw   
any unusual attention to herself. Thankfully, none of   
the other fencers or judges noticed her slip earlier.   
Fencers had some of the best reflexes of any   
athletes. Her move earlier to win the match had been   
just a little too fast to be humanly possible. If that   
had been a regular person facing her on the mat, it   
would have been readily apparent. Fortunately, these   
people were used to watching people who were so fast   
that she was only slightly faster in comparison. She   
was safe this time, but she shouldn't have made the   
mistake in the first place.  
" Ten'ou-san?"  
" Yes," she replied to the older man. He'd been   
watching her earlier during the match, and had left   
with one of the coaches she had studied with once. He   
had also walked back into the gym about ten minutes   
ago and had been analytically watching her.   
" You were very impressive in the match   
today. Congratulations on your victory."   
" He'll be better with a few more years under his   
belt," she replied as she turned to start moving in the   
other direction again.   
He smiled a little at that. " I don't have that   
much time, I'm afraid."   
She waited for him to make the first move and   
shifted to a pattern of parries and ripostes. He tried   
waiting a few moments to see if she would say anything   
else, but she remained silent.  
" Do you know why I am here?" he asked finally,   
breaking the uneasy silence between them.   
" I think so," she replied. " Why don't you tell   
me firsthand, though? I've only heard the rumors."   
" All right," he decided and sat on the bottom   
seat of a row of bleachers. " I was just named to the   
position of coach of Japan's fencing team for the   
upcoming Olympics the year after next. I want to   
field the best team possible, Ten'ou-san, but I need   
to assemble it as quickly as possible.   
" I can guarantee you a spot in the Internationals   
later this year, and if you do well there you're   
virtually guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team. I   
want you on that Olympic team, Ten'ou-san. You're   
the best prospect Japan has for winning a medal   
that I've seen."  
" Why me?" she responded casually and stopped   
to face him, catching his eyes with her green   
ones. " What makes me so special?"   
" You're already well known, Ten'ou-san," he   
said. " This could be a great help in building up a   
public perception of fencing and sports in general."   
" Publicity, you mean," she countered. " You   
overestimate me. I don't have that much of a chance   
of winning, I'm afraid. There are at least a dozen   
Europeans who can beat me out there, and that does   
not make for a good story."   
There are at least a dozen who can beat you   
within the narrow limits of the sport of fencing, she   
added to herself. This was only a game; practice for   
the conflicts that were to come. Those same fencers   
couldn't touch her if it was a real fight.   
" Are you that sure, Ten'ou-san?" he asked,   
looking disappointed. " I've been teaching this for   
a long time. I think that you have what it takes. Besides,   
representing their country in the Olympics is every   
athlete's dream."  
" Their dream," she snapped but restrained   
herself and kept her voice low and level for the rest   
as she started to walk over to get her bag. He couldn't   
see her looking at the ring on her left hand, which   
was the only piece of jewelry that she wore. " Not mine."   
  
*************************************************  
  
Fingers danced over familiar strings as she   
checked the tune of her violin for the lessons later   
on in the day. The sunlight coming through the windows   
caught the silver metal of the band of the only ring   
she wore; a simple ring that she wouldn't have traded   
for any other in the world.  
After a few minutes, she had worked the slight   
stiffness due to a lack of recent, regular practice   
from her fingers and felt more alert and aware. Music   
did that for her. It had always done that for her, she   
reflected as she set down the instrument and readied   
the others. Today was her beginner's class, and she   
taught more than just the violin, even though most were   
there for that.   
Or, she smiled to herself, most of the parents   
sent their children here to study the violin under her   
tutelage. Few children displayed the love for the   
difficult instrument that she had at an early age. In   
all probability, some of those parents wished for a   
portion of the riches and fame a gifted child could   
earn.  
Fortunately, most of the children quickly came   
to like her and wanted the lessons to continue. She   
didn't think that she could have gone on for too long   
otherwise.   
Unfortunately, this was not her class at the   
public school that she volunteered to teach. At first,   
it had been a ruse to give Setsuna easier access to the   
public school system's records in order to set up   
falsified records. Over time, however, she had grown   
fond of those children. Also, the reason for her recent   
worries was not a student at the local public school.   
" A pegasus, Kaioh-sensei!"  
She had heard the whisper from the back of the   
room as she was showing a boy the right way to hold a   
bow while Hotaru had played. It was the girl's second   
time in a session with the children at their house, and   
since the little girl now looked to be about five or   
six, the three women thought it to be a good way to   
let Hotaru interact with the others on a trial basis.   
She had shown Hotaru the basics of the violin   
earlier, but nobody expected her to take to it so   
well. Her moves lacked the expertise and polish that   
years of playing would give her, but Hotaru's raw   
talent had shocked the other children.   
Her pride had been like a parent discovering   
her child was a prodigy. It lasted until that whisper   
made her snap her head around in time to see the   
ghostly form of a winged horse. Even what little she   
could see told her that the animal was in great pain. A   
moment later, the vision faded, but not before she   
caught a flicker of movement in the vision.   
A girl ran towards the horse. She was vague and   
indistinct as she moved towards the pegasus, but every   
line she could make out bespoke of sorrow. What made   
her blood go cold, however, was that the girl's hair   
was worn up in an all-too familiar style. They only   
knew of two girls who wore their hair like that and   
looked like it belonged.  
  
*************************************************  
  
First she removed the ring from her left hand   
ring finger and put it on a chain which went around   
her neck. She wouldn't forgive herself for damaging   
that particular ring. Then, she tied the apron strings   
behind her back, took the vegetables out of the colander   
they had been rinsed in and began to cut them. The   
knife's movements were swift and confident as she cut   
them into smaller pieces, which were then set aside   
to be cooked a few minutes later. The whole point, she   
reminded herself of the rules in one of the cookbooks   
she had read, was to have everything cut and ready to   
cook before you actually begin cooking.  
The thought of her being so domestic made her   
laugh aloud. She would have never though of herself   
as being part of a family, let alone cooking like   
this. Before, she never had the time due to her other   
duties. When she did bother to eat, an act done more   
out of the habit of keeping her disguise than hunger,   
it was at some kind of restaurant. Sure, she had a   
home to live in... well, several actually, but she   
never bothered cooking.   
" Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru called out as she came   
into the room. " Are you all right?"   
" Yes, I am, Hotaru-chan," she replied and smiled   
at the girl. " I was just laughing because I'm happy   
right now."  
" You usually don't laugh like that, Setsuna-mama,"   
the girl said and turned her large, violet eyes on the   
woman. She hadn't asked a question, but it was there in   
her eyes.  
" I was thinking that I was happy being here with   
you and Michiru and Haruka." the woman explained as she   
began to mix up some flour and melted butter to form   
the basis for a roux that would be the foundation of a   
sauce to go over the meat that Haruka would cook on   
the grill outside in a few minutes. " That's why I   
laughed." Hotaru's reply was to run over to her and   
throw her arms around the woman's waist in a fierce   
hug.  
" I'm glad that you're happy, Setsuna-mama."  
" So am I, hime-chan, so am I," she smiled as   
she put one arm around the girl.   
" Can I help you?" Hotaru brightly asked, eager   
to be involved with what the adults did.   
" Yes," the woman laughed and pointed to the   
other end of the counter and a stack of plates and   
glasses. " You can set the table, but remember, only   
one plate at a time."  
" Okay," the girl nodded and started on ferrying   
the items to the table. " I'm sorry about the plates   
the other day, Setsuna-mama. I thought that I was   
strong enough to carry all four at once. I wanted to   
help, and it was getting close to dinner. All I wanted   
to do was to surprise you by helping out."   
" You are strong enough, little one, but you   
don't have the control yet. That will come in   
time. Remember, you're still a growing girl.  
" And," she added, seeing the remorseful look   
on the girl's face. " Michiru-mama is not mad at you   
about the plates, Hotaru-chan. She understands that   
it was an accident, and that you didn't mean to drop   
that stack."  
" But she was angry at first."   
" Yes, but she was angry that the plates were   
broken, and not at you for breaking them. She put in   
a lot of time and work finding the ones in that   
particular style, Hotaru-chan, and that was why she   
was angry. Do you think that you understand the   
difference?"   
" I think so," the girl frowned slightly,  
furrowing her brow as she thought.   
" Well, why don't you think about it some more   
if you aren't certain that you understand yet," she   
said as she turned on the gas flame under a wok on   
the stove. " Are you done with your studies for today?"   
" Yes," the girl nodded and put the last of the   
silverware on the table, and followed it up with the   
glasses. The woman glanced out the window, seeing   
Haruka slowly and methodically vacuuming the pool in   
the back of the yard.   
" Michiru-mama should be back soon. Why don't   
you go and tell Haruka-papa that dinner will be ready   
in fifteen minutes, and that I'll need her in about   
five?"  
" Hai!" the girl agreed and ran out of the   
kitchen and down the hall. Setsuna heard the back   
door open and close, and watched the girl run across   
the yard and over to the blonde woman. Haruka laughed,   
swept her up into a hug and spun her around a few times.   
She is growing so quickly, Setsuna told herself   
as she put some peanut oil into the wok and began   
cooking. It has been only six months since they started   
looking after the girl, and she seemed to have aged   
almost the same number of years.  
" Something is happening," she speculatively   
informed the empty kitchen and fervently wished that   
she knew what it was.  
  
************************************************  
  
A slightly wet, somewhat bedraggled, and thoroughly   
smiling Michiru joined the other two women in the living   
room about a half hour after dinner. Her hair was somewhat   
damp, as was the white dressing gown in a few spots. The   
clothes she had been wearing were now in the dryer.   
" I take it that somebody was having fun?" Setsuna   
teased her and smiled.   
" Yes," she grinned back and sat next to   
Haruka. " Hotaru-chan decided to splash some water   
around for a little bit, but she did settle down   
finally and take a proper bath."   
" And you couldn't resist the challenge, ne?" the   
blonde replied, her voice light and dry. Michiru simply   
mock-glared at her for a moment before teasingly   
smiling and nodded.   
" Did anything happen at the lessons today,   
Michiru?" Setsuna asked. They had refrained from   
discussing business at the table, as was usual. It   
was as much to keep Hotaru from hearing them as it   
was an agreement. She and Michiru had outvoted Haruka,   
and declared meals to be times of relaxation unless   
it was a bona fide emergency.   
" No," Michiru said. " Today it was quiet,   
although a few children were whispering about what   
had happened."  
" Anything from any of the parents?"  
" No," she replied to Setsuna. " None of them   
said anything that would make me believe that the   
children have told them anything and it was believed. So   
far, we're safe."   
" That makes it four visitations with Chibi-usa   
in them at the end, then," Haruka commented. " I still   
think that this means something, even if we haven't had   
one for two weeks now."   
" I believe you, Haruka," Setsuna replied, poured   
herself a cup of tea and opened up her laptop   
computer. " I was able to get into the university's   
computer system last night and ran the test results   
through it to confirm what I got."   
" And?"  
The older woman brought up a file and handed   
the unit over. " There was nothing unusual. Her   
medical information is all normal. Ours is as   
well. According to virtually every test known to   
the modern medical science of one of the best research   
universities in the world, we are in perfect health,   
and absolutely nothing is wrong with any of us."   
It had been trickier to sneak the child into a   
medical lab on a weekend, but she had managed by   
changing the records so that it was not in use at the   
time. The same had been done for the three women. After   
the tests were done, Setsuna had removed the data and   
any evidence leading to them from the computers and   
bided her time until she could get to the main computer   
to decipher the results.  
" In other words," Michiru added. " There are   
still no reasons that we know of for losing our powers   
or why Hotaru-chan is growing so quickly."   
" In other words, we're back to square   
one. " Haruka bitterly added. " Damn."  
" I'm afraid so," Setsuna agreed. " We have   
something going on or shall be going on with Small   
Lady, at least if we believe that Hotaru's visions   
are accurate. Nor do we know if it is something   
going on now or in the future if she happens to be   
precognitive."   
" And not a trace of our powers since the   
eclipse," Michiru added with a sardonic smile. " One   
hell of an April Fool's joke is being played on us."   
" Joke or not, we still have a job to do," the   
older woman replied. " And we have only a fraction of   
the resources we expected to have. I still can't reach   
my castle, but that itself isn't too surprising since   
I may need to be a Senshi in order to be   
recognized. What worries me is that my guardian   
isn't responding. She's supposed to be the back-up   
in case of emergencies like this."   
" This talk of castles is weird," Haruka   
chuckled. " I trust you, Setsuna, but it is still   
weird. We've never felt them or remember being there."   
" They are there, you two," Setsuna smiled. Uranus   
and Neptune had been directly reincarnated like the Inner   
Senshi and the princess. Her own path to this time and   
existence was somewhat more convoluted than theirs, and   
because of that she knew things that they did   
not. " When we figure this out, I'll take you to   
yours."   
" And that kawaii little image of you was   
Guardian Pluto, right?" Michiru smiled merrily   
despite the gravity of the situation. She had   
enjoyed teasing Pluto about the appearance of the   
artificial intelligence that Pluto had summoned   
once while they were trying to learn more about   
the Deathbusters. It was only that they had seen   
the apparition at all that they believed Setsuna   
about the existence of these castles in orbit   
around their respective planets.   
" Yes, that was her," Setsuna replied with a   
light grin of her own. Michiru had made her laugh as   
well with the raised eyebrow that was her first   
reaction to the spirited little apparition. " I don't   
think that there is anything that she can add to   
what I have found out, but I would like to make sure."  
" So," Haruka added a few moments later. " The   
only assets we can rely on are our wits and the   
Talismans. At least they still work."   
" Two of them are," Setsuna quietly reminded   
them, glancing at Michiru.   
" The Deep Aqua Mirror is just fine," Michiru   
reassured them with a pointed glare behind her light   
voice. Neither had agreed with her at first when she   
gave the mirror to Chibi-usa before they left the   
others. Now it was looking like a fortunate   
decision. Michiru always knew where the mirror was   
despite it not being in her possession, so they could   
keep track of at least one of their former allies.   
"The mirror is as much of a part of me as yours   
are a part of you," she reassured them. " If I truly   
need it, it will return to me."  
" I believe you, Michiru," Haruka said as an   
apology for her lack of faith, still trying to make   
it up to her on this issue. Hotaru's voice called   
out from upstairs and Michiru sighed.   
" Once more, into the breach," she wryly   
commented and stood. " Anything else, Setsuna?"  
" No," she sighed as well. " We're just going   
to have to figure out how to make it on our own, it   
seems."  
  
***********************************************   
  
Sea gulls wheeled about overhead, their strident   
cries a sharp reminder to Michiru of how long it had   
been since they had been to the beach. It was also   
the cause of a pang of loss. Before she had lost her   
powers, she always felt close to being able to   
understand what they were crying about. It was as   
if a few more minutes of listening would be the key   
to unlocking the puzzle.   
Now it was just noise without any pattern or   
meaning to it.   
" Haruka-papa!" Hotaru shrieked with laughter   
and was splashed with a cascade of water as Haruka   
came out of the sea behind her and crashed back down,   
creating a deluge.  
" Why don't you go join them?" Setsuna asked from   
under the relative shelter of the umbrella at their   
spot. It was still somewhat early, so the morning   
sunlight wasn't too bad yet. Nor were the crowds,   
although that would change in a few hours. " We've   
been here a while, and you still haven't gone in the   
water."   
" You're one to talk," Michiru neatly deflected   
the question, noticing the still dry swimsuit that   
the other woman wore.   
" I didn't come here for the water," Setsuna   
countered with a sly smile, catching Michiru with   
her own words from early that morning when the impromptu   
trip had been decided upon. Michiru laughed, readily   
acknowledging her defeat.  
" So why are you here?"   
" The sun, darling," Setsuna drawled, making   
Michiru giggle despite herself at the change in the   
woman's behavior. " My tan is fading horribly."   
Despite ample evidence to the contrary over the   
past several months, her mental image of Setsuna was   
still someone who was too serious for her own good. The   
seriousness was always there, but a dry wit often   
lurked behind those red eyes, and sometimes it would   
even escape.   
" I've been spending too much time indoors   
lately," Setsuna went on in a more normal tone of   
voice. " We all have, really."   
" There's three of us and we can barely keep   
up with her," Michiru commented and stood up. " It   
makes me wonder how a single parent like ever does   
it, Setsuna."   
Setsuna nodded in agreement as Michiru went down   
and helped out Hotaru in her water splashing contest   
with Haruka. The simple fact was that they did not   
have a regular child to raise, she told herself as   
she watched them for a while.   
A little while later, after she put on some   
sunscreen in order to avoid burning and calling Hotaru   
over to get the same treatment, she joined them in the   
water. The poor girl got ganged up on for a little while   
at first and thoroughly enjoyed it before the fray   
settled down to Haruka and Hotaru against Michiru and   
herself.   
" How about I start on a sand castle?" Haruka   
asked Hotaru after seeing the fatigue beginning to show   
in her eyes and her movements. She still didn't have the   
endurance of a child of her apparent age, but was   
beginning to catch up.   
" Hai!" she agreed and then yelped in surprise   
as Setsuna scooped her up and put her up on her shoulder.   
" I need a cold drink, little one, and I think   
you could do with the same," she said and carried Hotaru   
back to their blankets. Michiru followed and took a   
towel and some yen from her purse.   
" There's a stand down the way that has good   
bento," she told them. " Anybody want anything in   
particular?"   
" No natto," Haruka quickly offered as she took   
the large, sturdy bucket she had used to carry some of   
their odds and ends in from the car. She also grabbed   
the small, folding shovel she had brought along since   
she had a good idea of what was going to happen. Hotaru   
liked to do things with her hands.  
" Honestly, Haruka," Michiru sighed in   
mock-exasperation and put her hands on her hips   
while trying to look offended. The smile on her   
face ruined the effect to some degree. " Do you   
really think that I would have forgotten that after   
all this time?"   
The blonde blushed at the teasing and withdrew   
in order to begin getting the sand for the castle's   
foundation. Michiru laughed at the look on Haruka's   
face before going to one of the showers on her way   
to the bento stand.   
" Here you go," the woman said while she opened   
and handed the girl a can of chilled apple juice   
while pouring herself some of the iced green tea   
she had made that morning. She settled back in her   
lounge chair and thought to herself that it was a   
wonderful day, despite all their other problems.   
" Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru spoke up right as the   
woman was going to tell herself that they needed a   
relaxing day like this. " What's that word for a person   
that you told me that is sort of like Haruka-papa, but   
they dress that way on purpose?"   
Oh boy, she sighed to herself. She had almost   
spoken too soon. " A transvestite," she replied, glad   
that Hotaru knew the difference but still dreading what   
was to come. This was Hotaru's version of asking about   
the birds and the bees.   
The girl had asked and been taught by them about   
where babies came from, and understood the biological   
mechanics. So far, she only felt that a couple would do   
that if they wanted to have a child, however. She still   
didn't understand or know about sexual desire, thank   
goodness.  
What confused Hotaru sometimes, however, was   
perceived gender roles and how a few people blurred   
them. It was almost understandable given how often she   
had seen Haruka mistaken for being a man. Since her   
father was no longer around, she didn't have a   
conventional father figure to learn from like most   
children. Nor had she several more years of time to   
learn it in like a regular child.   
" I think that he is one of them," Hotaru decided   
and nodded towards a group of young men who were   
probably high school or college students. The sight   
of a head of pink hair in among them made Setsuna do   
a double take as she looked in that direction.  
Her hair was a shade paler than Chibi-usa's and   
reached to the middle of her back, and she had long   
bangs in front. He, Setsuna reminded herself. He looked   
so much like a girl that it was surprising to not see   
what she expected when he pulled off the dress shirt   
he was wearing and put on a loose top in a floral   
pattern. The other boys with him didn't even bat an   
eyelash when this happened.  
" He might be," Setsuna decided, losing herself   
in the flood of memories the pink hair evoked, even if   
the color was a bit off. She, unlike Michiru and Haruka,   
had not seen the pegasus that Hotaru's violin playing   
could summon up, nor the young girl who would run   
towards it at the end of the vision.  
" Haruka-papa isn't like that, right?"   
" No, she isn't," Setsuna reassured her and closed   
her eyes in an attempt to banish the old ghost she was   
seeing. " She doesn't dress like a man on   
purpose. People just think she is one sometimes."   
  
************************************************  
  
The notes coming from the piano were a slow,   
steady, and heartbreakingly sad testament to one woman's   
grief.   
" This will not do," Michiru softly told   
herself. It was the night of their trip to the beach,   
and she was currently leaning back up against a wall   
in the hallway, right outside the door to the library   
where they had placed one of their pianos. The grand   
was downstairs in the room that was used for the   
lessons she taught, but they also put in an upright   
piano as well. The walls were soundproofed to some   
degree, so the notes were whispers of what they   
should be.   
Haruka's improvisation was slowed down to the   
point of being almost unrecognizable, but she had been   
able to determine after listening for a few minutes   
that it was not just random notes. It reminded her of   
the melody they had heard in a movie where one of the   
minor characters had died and the main ones reflected   
upon her loss. As in that movie, it was just note after   
note on an unaccompanied piano, and it was like your   
heart was getting torn out.   
The violin, someone had once said, was either   
like the voice of the devil or that of an angel. It   
could sound like either one; carrying the listener to   
the heights of joy or the brink of despair. In her   
opinion, the piano was far better at plumbing the   
depths than the violin could ever be. There was just   
something a piano on its own like that.   
Normally, she might have tried joining the blonde   
to cheer her up with a change of tempo and some different   
music for them to play, but there was something else to   
consider right now. She opened the door, stepped into   
the room and waited a moment. Haruka realized she was   
there and turned, her face flushing slightly in   
embarrassment at being caught while indulging her   
emotions.  
She started to speak, but stopped when Michiru   
put a finger to her lips and beckoned her forward. They   
walked out of the room and past the bedrooms, being   
careful to not wake the sleeping Hotaru in an adjoining   
room. Michiru led her downstairs and to the doorway   
leading to the covered porch overlooking the back   
yard. Both had been silent the whole way, so they   
did not disturb the woman sitting on the steps.   
A wavering, shimmering and hazy view of something   
hung in the air before Setsuna. The Garnet Rod rested   
across her lap, and the Orb shone in the darkness and   
let them see the white knuckles that were clenched as   
she tightly gripped the haft of the weapon. A nearly   
full wine bottle and an empty glass sat next to her. The   
liquid looked black in the red-colored light.   
" ... make you happy... ," they could barely hear   
the phantasmal image of Sailor Pluto telling that of   
the Small Lady. " ... raise your spirits... magic...   
Abracadabra..."   
" Pon," the real Setsuna muffled her sob, but   
the other two woman could still hear the words. Out of   
nowhere, a cascade of brightly colored flowers fell   
around her, creating a living carpet on the steps like   
it did to the little girl in the vision. The image   
vanished with a pop like a soap bubble, but not before   
the girl smiled radiantly. Setsuna began to cry.   
Haruka made to move to her, but was   
restrained. Michiru tugged her back deeper into the   
house in order to give the other woman a modicum of   
privacy. " She needs-" Haruka began to say, but was   
interrupted.  
" She needs to cry, Haruka," Michiru explained   
in a soft whisper. " Do you know what she was looking   
at?"   
" The future, I gather."   
" She was looking at our future, but it is her   
past. She misses her friends in her future, Haruka. You   
saw how Chibi-usa reacted when she saw Pluto here for   
the first time. They had to have been very close to each   
other. She's lonely and misses those people who were in   
her life."   
" Then why did you stop me?" she demanded. " She   
shouldn't be alone, then. We can show her that we care   
about her, too."   
" I am going to her," Michiru corrected her. " If   
it takes some wine and a vision of the future to break   
down those walls, she won't want us to see her like   
that. I'll give her a few minutes to work it out of her   
system before I go talk to her. In the meantime, you are   
going to go upstairs and keep an eye on somebody. You   
know how poorly Hotaru took it when she saw me crying.   
" You're to sit on Hotaru-chan to keep her up there   
and away from Setsuna if necessary. She's never seen   
Setsuna break down... " Michiru's voice trailed off as  
both realized that they hadn't even seen the woman be   
bothered by anything to such a degree.   
Haruka smiled softly a moment later and pulled   
Michiru into a hug with her. " I do remember," she said,   
recalling how bad that one week had been. The pressures   
of their life rarely bothered her love, but even she   
could have bad days at times. Another thing came to her   
mind as well. " Michiru?"   
" Yes?"   
" I'm sorry."   
" Whatever for?" she lightly laughed. The blonde   
imagined the look in Michiru's eyes right now. Mischievous   
and flashing, despite the gravity of the situation.  
" Taking you for granted sometimes," Haruka   
replied. Her voice was light and even like she enjoyed   
the jest, but it was also utterly sincere. " It is times   
like these that make me realize how important you are to   
us, and to me. Without you, I could never reach so high   
or run so fast.   
" I'm not as strong as everyone thinks, not without   
you. I'm beginning to see that you're doing the same   
thing for Setsuna, and even for Hotaru. If we are strong,   
it is only because of you being our foundation. A deft   
touch there, a caring word here, and we keep on going.   
" You make it look so easy, Michiru. So easy that I   
sometimes forget that you are even doing it, and I   
wanted... no, needed to tell you that." she finished   
and kissed Michiru on the forehead.   
" Thank you, Haruka," she whispered and wiped away   
a tear that was threatening to form. " I'm glad-"   
" What? That I'm not too dense to recognize it   
some times?" Haruka interrupted her with a smile. She   
took hold of Michiru's shoulders and turned her around   
so that she faced the back of the house. " She just   
stopped crying. I'll keep Hotaru down for a couple of   
hours, and then I'm going to go out for a little spin   
to clear my head. Let me know if you need me here,   
though. I'll be glad to stay for you.  
" Or with you," she teased the shorter woman and   
gave her a nudge.   
  
************************************************   
  
It had not been an easy night for her, but a   
good talk and sleep had done wonders for restoring   
her spirits. At Haruka's suggestion that morning,   
she had left her Jaguar behind and taken one of   
Haruka's old roadsters. The top was down, her hair   
was streaming out behind her, and the dark sunglasses   
completed the look. This was a definite change of   
pace, and it had helped her more than she thought   
it would have.   
She cruised by one of the speed traps and even   
waved at the two motorcycle officers there who were   
monitoring the traffic that had left the freeway at   
her exit. Keio University had enough affluent   
students to warrant a number of drivers, and   
college students always seemed to be in a hurry. That   
meant speeding, and that led to tickets, but they   
wouldn't get her today. Haruka would take them on   
a race and challenge them, but her tactic was to   
be precisely on the speed limit.   
A number of the faculty took second looks at   
her as she pulled into her parking spot near the   
entrance. It was a selfish little perk, but she   
didn't give herself that many of them. When asked,   
she said that she was using the one assigned by the   
school to her superior while he was in America. They   
were not just looking at her in envy, though. The   
different car and a bold and bright outfit of   
Haruka's that Michiru suggested would look good   
on her were a change of pace for her. She could   
almost imagine the gossip that would be circulating   
later on. A new lover would probably be at the top   
of the list.  
The idea made her laugh out loud as she got   
out of the car and engaged the alarm systems. As   
she made her way across the campus to her building,   
she exchanged a few greetings and wove her hair into   
a loose braid. A clip with a pastoral scene in   
brightly colored enamels kept it from unraveling   
and getting in her way.  
Once in her office, the smile faded from her   
face as she locked the door. The regular faculty   
were going to have a short meeting before classes   
got underway, and that would give her the few minutes   
for some more unusual tests and measurements that   
were the real reason she was here. It would be easier   
to do them without the chance of being discovered.   
According to the school records, she was part   
of a physics project being run with an American   
university. She was the research assistant and   
liaison to the professor in America actually running   
the project. That was her cover story, and it had   
been carefully set up by her to avoid any possible   
confusion or questions about her comings and   
goings. The labs were not in the best or newest   
of the science buildings, so no other instructors   
became jealous of her project's status.   
What was important to her was that her lab   
was the one that was closest to the Mugen Delta. Four   
kilometers away to the south and west was the remains   
of Mugen Gakuen. At first she had been studying the   
structure of space as a cover to investigate the   
ways that the Deathbusters were infiltrating their   
world while Michiru and Haruka went undercover at   
the school itself.   
There had been no more traces of their enemy   
after Sailor Saturn had destroyed them and the   
princess had healed up the damage done in the   
process. That didn't stop her from checking up   
on things, however. Their enemies had managed to   
infiltrate this world without their noticing once   
before, and they were very determined that it   
would not happen again.   
The equipment only took a few moments to   
come on-line and signal that it was ready. She   
inserted a removable hard drive into a slot on   
the main computer, and tapped in a few unusual   
commands and a series of passwords that answered   
questions which only two other people in all of   
existence could answer. Everything rebooted and   
took on her own specifications. The irony here   
threatened to break through the mask she kept   
over her features while she worked. All of the   
equipment had been designed by normal human   
scientists. All of it had been dismissed as not   
working, a hoax, or madness. She knew the truth of   
the matter, however. This world's scientists were   
far closer to their goal then they would ever believe.   
What they did not have was a way to manipulate   
time. They could perceive a significant disturbance   
in it, assuming that they knew where to look. So far,   
it had always been in the wrong place, and she was   
not about to give them any hints. Her arrangement   
of the way the machines interacted was the key. The   
data she was about to get would probably earn   
somebody a place in history or one on a cross.   
She took out the Garnet Rod in order to hold   
it in both hands. After a few minutes of calming her   
mind and gathering the power of the Talisman, she   
took a deep breath and opened her eyes onto another   
world. In response to that power, her braided hair   
floated up behind her like it was considering taking   
on a life of its' own. The thought of how the   
princess ever managed with her own hair was nudged   
aside.   
A faint pulse of the temporal energies in   
the Orb was directed outward towards the grounds   
of Mugen Gakuen. The dials and gauges began to dance   
as they read the returning echoes of that energy,   
and the monitors sprang into activity right after   
that. Setsuna quickly put away her staff and peered   
over the consoles. So far it looked like nothing had   
changed. The final analysis would have to wait until   
later, but for now it still looked like the   
Deathbusters would never be heard from again.   
After the data had been compiled, she loaded   
all of it onto the heavily encrypted computer drive   
which she then put back in her purse. It only took   
her a few moments more to erase any trace of what she   
had been doing and reset all of the equipment back to   
normal. This equipment was like the ears in the old   
riddle.   
What is the sound of one hand clapping? While   
even she didn't know the real answer to that one, she   
was the one doing the clapping that three supposedly   
secret research projects were trying to hear. She had   
long since studied and memorized the reports they   
would make in the near future detailing their   
operations and the futility of any further temporal   
research.   
Now that her real work was done, she unlocked   
the door and proceeded to engage in keeping up the   
facade. She needed little time to do what her project   
was supposed to do, so she would often help out with   
some of the other professors and research assistants   
on her floor. It was nice of her to help, and the   
others appreciated it. It also helped her to feel   
more accepted.   
After surprising her friends there with fresh   
tea after they got back from the meeting, she took on   
a few stacks of papers to grade. She would   
occasionally go back into her labs to ostensibly   
check something or adjust a piece of equipment.   
" Ah, Setsuna-san," the man's deep voice   
boomed out as he poked his head into the common room   
where she was grading papers. " Can I ask a favor of   
you today?"   
" Certainly," she smiled at the professor and   
motioned for him to sit.   
" I have some test data that I need taken over   
to Dr. Shizuma this afternoon, and since you have   
already been there... " he said after he sat. His   
voice trailed off slightly in hopeful expectation.   
" The mad scientist of Moto Azabu high   
school?" she chuckled and nodded while her heart   
skipped a beat. She grinned and tried to blush in   
order to hide her reaction. Since the school was   
on her way home she had done this before.   
He joined in the mirth and laughed. " He likes   
to teach at that level, Setsuna-san. It is his love,   
but high energy physics runs a close second. I have   
some results from the super collider project that   
he's going to look at in order to try and prove   
Minovski's Theorem."   
" Is he still in the same classroom there,   
Shima-sensei?" she asked and worked out the details   
with him, along with a promise to drop off the   
documentation later on. He'd sign her off as working   
under him so she could leave early that day.   
While her mind went on with grading papers, her   
heart started hoping that he might be at the school   
as well. The chances were slim, but he still did return   
to his old school on occasion. He was currently taking   
classes in the medical buildings at Keio University on   
the other side of the campus, which she was careful to   
avoid, but her heart wanted to see him.   
She tried to stop thinking about it, but gave up   
after a while and resolutely swore to have the offending   
organ removed as soon as possible. It would probably   
hurt less in the long run.   
  
************************************************   
  
The blue Ferrari gracefully swerved around a   
stopped car, negotiated the tight turn into the   
driveway and came to a smooth stop by the front   
doors. Michiru got out of the car carrying the long,   
narrow case that held the flute she was taking lessons   
in. A careful observer could have seen the slight   
tightness to her shoulders, and perhaps the slight   
flutter of her hair that betrayed her quicker than   
normal pace.   
The hallway table received the flute case but   
not her purse. She glanced around briefly and   
listened. It was quiet. Not too quiet, however. A   
trace of music betrayed Haruka's presence; a soft   
outpouring of the sultry jazz of the radio program   
she liked to listen to this time of the day. That   
meant that Hotaru was not with her right this moment,   
so she walked to the study next to the den where   
Haruka was reading.   
" Hi, Michiru," she heard her partner murmur,   
but she kept on going.   
" Hotaru-chan?" she asked as she went into room   
to see what the girl was up to. A few books were neatly   
arranged on the table as she worked her way through a   
series of what looked to be math problems.   
" Michiru-mama!" the girl greeted her and ran   
over to get a quick hug. " You're back early today."   
" Ogura-sensei had to leave early today, so I   
got out early," the woman responded and smiled at the   
girl. " Do you feel up to taking a break right now?"   
" I'm almost done with tomorrow's problems," Hotaru   
confided. " I like working with fractions like this. It's   
easier now that Haruka-papa showed me where I was making   
my mistakes."   
" Well, since you're being such a good girl, how   
does a quick trip to Lakeside Park sound? The other   
children should be getting there soon."  
" What's up, Michiru?" Haruka asked from behind   
her as Hotaru eagerly nodded at the prospect of   
playing with some other children. Due to her not   
being in a regular school, she didn't get as much time   
to be with children her own age as most kids.   
" We're going to the park, Haruka-papa!" the girl   
eagerly exclaimed and grabbed one of the blonde's   
arms. She tried to playfully drag her towards the   
front door, but the tall woman hesitated.   
" I need to change-"   
" You look fine, Haruka," Michiru quickly   
interrupted her. Haruka was in a white shirt and   
black pants that were a bit too nice for what Haruka   
thought would be going on in a little bit. She didn't   
know that they weren't going to the park. Only Hotaru   
was.  
  
***********************************************  
  
" That makes all the work mean something, you   
know?" Haruka mused as they watched Hotaru run over   
to join a group of children by a set of swings. They   
had been lucky to get a space for her in the day   
care center at the park. Despite all their money or   
fancy tricks, it had only been because the woman who   
owned and operated the facility had taken such a   
liking to Hotaru when they first brought her here a   
few weeks ago that they were able to leave her here   
at all.   
At her current rate of growth, Setsuna guessed   
that Hotaru only had a few more weeks here before   
they would have to move her again in order to avoid   
any suspicion. The girl never questioned this aspect   
of her life, thankfully. If her 'parents' said that   
she had to move around like this, she accepted that   
the reasons were valid and did not complain.   
" It does," Michiru agreed. " They'll keep an   
eye on her for a few hours so we can go get something   
to eat."   
" We just ate a little while ago," Haruka offered.   
" This is more than just eating, Haruka," she   
replied in a firm voice that allowed no room for   
disagreement. They went off to the car, and Haruka   
was surprised again when Michiru took the keys from   
her. " I'll drive."   
A few minutes later they pulled into an almost   
empty parking lot underneath a small restaurant   
perched on the side of a low hill. " The sign said   
that they're closed." Haruka observed.   
" So?" was the reply as Michiru led her towards   
the service entrance and through the side door. Inside,   
after they passed through a storeroom, they entered   
a long, narrow kitchen that was scrupulously   
clean. Three men and two women were industriously   
working at cutting boards and the stoves while   
getting ready for the night's business.  
" Catello!" Michiru warmly greeted the oldest   
of the men there, who broadly smiled when he saw who   
was there. He was a short, skinny, and jovial fellow   
with a sparse, salt-and-pepper beard and mustache. He   
briefly hugged her and they rapidly exchanged a few   
words in something that sounded like Italian to Haruka   
but she couldn't fully make it out. She was guessing   
it was Latin, but her knowledge of Latin was mainly   
related to two of the languages that had sprang from   
it, Italian and French. She knew some racing terms in   
Italian, a few operas and a smattering of French. His   
accent was heavy and confused her, however.   
" We'll be on the east patio, then," Michiru   
switched back to Japanese, noticing her partner's   
attempts to follow the conversation. " Just a light   
lunch, Catello. Surprise us," she smiled and held out   
a hand to Haruka.  
" What was that about?" Haruka asked after they   
made their way through the darkened dining room and   
onto a small patio that offered a view of the lake   
that was one boundary of the park that Hotaru was   
at. " I know we used to come here now and then, but   
you never mentioned knowing the owner."   
" He was a friend of my parents," she replied   
and graciously accepted a glass of sparkling water   
from one of the cooks who had brought it out to them   
along with place settings and silverware. " He just   
got back here and bought this place recently."   
" What is so important?" Haruka asked after the   
other person left. She knew that something was   
bothering Michiru, but not the source of the problem.   
" Haruka," she carefully began. " You're very   
good at dissembling when you have to be, but you have   
never intentionally lied to me about anything important   
before, and I don't want you to start now. Where were   
you last night?"   
" Michiru," she sighed. " Don't... "   
" You went to see them, didn't you?" she gently   
asked, but received no answer other than a guilty   
look. " There's nothing wrong with missing them,   
Haruka," she softly explained and took one of the   
blonde's hands in hers and entwined their fingers.   
" I shouldn't want to see them, not like this,   
not when I have you and Setsuna and Hotaru. You're   
my family now," the taller woman sighed and took a   
sip of water. " But I can't get them out of my heart,   
Michiru."   
" We agreed not to see them anymore, Haruka. Not   
until we were needed, or we had raised Hotaru."   
" I didn't actually meet her," Haruka   
admitted. " I wouldn't go that far without telling   
you first. How did you know, anyway?"   
" It was Usagi-chan, ne?" she teasingly smiled   
before going on. " The odometer on the car tipped   
me off. I happened to remember it was on three hundred   
kilometers when I was done using it yesterday, and   
when I took it this morning, the odometer read four   
hundred and twenty. You also left it almost on empty,   
which made me look at it in the first place. A   
hundred and twenty kilometers is almost exactly   
the distance from here to Juuban and back."   
" Guilty as charged," she admitted. " I guess   
seeing Setsuna break down like that affected me more   
than I thought it would. She has always so steady that   
if she could break, then I didn't have any chance   
whatsoever of holding together through this."  
" You'll be fine, Haruka, and I miss seeing   
them, too," Michiru smiled again. " For all their   
little foibles, it was nice to have allies, even if   
it was only for a little while."   
" Allies," Haruka mulled over the word and its'   
implications for a few minutes. " Is that all you   
think of them? They're closer to us than our own   
families. We share a common past with them, Michiru,   
and nobody else can ever replace that."   
" That is true," Michiru conceded the point and   
paused while the food was brought out to them.   
" You little faker," Haruka chuckled after the   
man left, but she carefully kept it free of any trace   
of accusation. " You don't just miss them. There's   
more. You're jealous, too."   
" I never said I wasn't jealous of the   
others, Haruka."  
" But you never admitted it, either," Haruka   
replied. Her voice dropped a bit and warmed up, a sure   
sign of her concern. " I don't like it that they get to   
go on as Sailor Senshi when we're stuck like this. It   
isn't fair, Michiru."   
" It hurts me as well," she responded. " I never   
said it doesn't hurt to think about that part of our   
life being over. I just hide it better, Haruka. That's   
all."   
The blonde sighed and took a bite of her pasta   
in order to give herself a moment or two to   
think. First she almost overlooked how her lover   
kept them going despite all their problems, and   
now she had nearly missed that Michiru was so   
bothered by the loss of their old positions.   
" Thank you for telling me that, Michiru," she   
simply said and caught Michiru's gaze until she   
finally smiled. " It's harder than I thought it would   
be to give up the power and just be me. I mean, Uranus   
is someone that only I can be, and I thought myself   
special because of that."   
" You're right," Michiru finally said a few   
moments later. " It's not the fame or the career. I   
miss the power, too. I can't even feel the ocean   
like I used to, Haruka. I feel like I lost an arm or   
a leg."   
" That's what I feel, too," the taller woman   
confirmed. " I hope that this isn't a sign of what is   
to come, because I don't really want to spend the rest   
of my life like this. We promised each other that we   
would go on no matter what the cost, and we promised   
the princess that we would protect her. I'd hate it   
if this made us go back on our word.  
" Still," she went on. " If this is the end, I'm   
glad we are together. I remember the nightmares I used   
to have about not seeing you for decades at a time."   
" Nightmares or flashbacks," the woman with the   
turquoise hair replied with a shiver as she remembered   
her own dreams. Often one or the other would wake up   
in a cold sweat, and the pain on the face of the person   
they loved hurt both of them to see.   
That was the thing about their past that scared   
them the most. They both remembered the separation they   
had to endure and knew that there was a chance that   
they might have to go through it again.  
" I hope that it never comes to that, Michiru,   
but if it does, I can face it if I can face it along   
with you. Whether it is just a normal life, or even   
if we get called to service again. Besides," Haruka   
grinned broadly this time, making the other woman smile   
as well at its' infectious nature. " Usagi-chan is a   
soft touch and a romantic. We can talk her into letting   
us be together instead of apart."   
  
************************************************  
  
Setsuna kept up her steady pace towards the   
high school, not that the traffic would allow any   
speeding right now, anyway. It was mid-afternoon,   
and the traffic was starting to thicken up. In about   
an hour, the worst of the gridlock would start tying   
up the city streets as people began to get out of work   
for the day.   
The black attaché case resting on the passenger   
seat held the paperwork and discs she was to   
deliver. Next to that was the remains of a bento   
she had purchased after listening to her stomach growl   
for attention. She'd skipped lunch today at her campus   
in order to leave early enough to miss the worst of   
the traffic.  
She smiled at a memory that came to her as she   
went by a market they had shopped at for a while when   
they briefly lived closer to this area. In her mind,   
she could remember it like it had just happened. A   
frustrated Haruka, fully ready to go down and loudly   
complain to the store manager that the diapers she had   
just bought for Hotaru were not the same size as   
indicated on the bag. Michiru was laughing and trying   
to calm down the blonde. Then, her own startling   
discovery. It was not that the diapers were the wrong   
size. Almost overnight, the child was too large for   
them. It happened again a few days later to the next   
largest size.   
That growth, and Hotaru's sudden increase in   
appetite were their first clue that something unusual   
was happening to the girl. She was eating about a half   
again as much as she used to. Up until then, she had   
been a very typical, good-natured infant that gave no   
trace of her unusual past.  
About a week later had come that fateful day when   
they realized that they no longer had their powers. After   
that, everything had changed, but contemplating the   
changes was easier than thinking about where she was   
going.   
It had been a warm, sunny afternoon that she   
first made this trip to the high school for   
Shima-sensei. Setsuna fervently thanked everything   
she held dear or divine, from the Neo-Queen all the   
way back to her own long-forgotten mother that he   
didn't notice her that day. She was walking up the   
stairs to the one of the campus buildings when Chiba   
Mamoru walked out of the door. He was laughing and   
talking to one of his friends. His eyes were bright   
and untroubled behind the glasses he wore.   
Seeing him so relatively happy and carefree,   
and above all else, not yet married to the Neo-Queen,   
was like a knife to her heart. Memories of long   
conversations burst into the front of her mind,   
clamoring for her attention, and all of them were   
focused on a kind-hearted visitor who always had a   
moment of time to spare in order to check up on her   
welfare.   
The unusual conditions of the area around the   
gates she guarded didn't bother him, or if it did, he   
never let it show. While they were not frequent due to   
other demands on the monarch's time, Endymion's visits   
quickly became the focus of her life. She was well read,   
but she had not seen the rest of the world for a very   
long time. They talked about that, or his family and   
friends.   
She was not too surprised that she had fallen in   
love with him. It was only natural, especially as he was   
one of three people she saw on a regular basis. His wife   
sometimes came to visit her. Also, their child, who was   
born shortly after she took up her position at the   
gates, would come as well. At first, Chibi-usa was   
carried along, but soon was making her own way.   
They were the only ones who could and would   
approach the gates, after all. The other Senshi could,  
but they are always uneasy around her. She valued the   
fact that they would try to see her, at least, despite   
their worries and the fact that they never became   
close. It was the king who had a hold on her heart.   
The urge to go to him, to make him hers, was   
overpowering. It would have been easy for her, too. He   
was vulnerable here, the incredible strength of the bond   
to his love that kept her from having a chance in her   
past was not yet fully formed until further in his   
future. She knew much of what he liked and did not,   
and how to capture his attention. She also knew the   
woman he married, and what she was like, and their   
respective strengths and weaknesses in regards to   
his affections.   
In the end, it was only the loyalty to those   
friends who had made her a part of their lives for   
hundreds of years that prevented her from acting   
upon her desires. The royal family had been under   
no obligation to do so, but they had, and if she made   
this transgression, she never would have them as part   
of her life.   
She managed to keep herself from doing anything   
other than a slight stumble, like her shoe had caught   
on the pavement. He walked past without noticing her   
and she breathed a sigh of relief. He had seen her   
when he was in the future, after all. It was fortunate,   
come to think of it. She was on a mission, she scolded   
herself, hardened her treacherous heart and went on her   
way. The interference of the princess and the other   
Senshi would only get in their way here.  
Afterwards, it had taken her many nights of   
soul-searching to get over what she felt for Endymion,   
and to realize that Chiba Mamoru was not yet the man   
she was going to be in love with. She was almost ready   
to believe that she was over him when the Inner Senshi   
stumbled across their investigation of the Deathbusters,   
and she was thrown into painful proximity to him. It   
set back her efforts greatly, but the newfound family   
she had in Michiru, Haruka and Hotaru helped fill   
that void in her heart.   
  
************************************************   
  
" Hi, Hotaru-chan!" one of the girls who had   
just gotten to the day care center happily exclaimed   
upon seeing the new girl.   
" Hi, Miwako-chan," Hotaru shyly smiled back,   
still somewhat uncertain of how to react. Her   
upbringing with her three adoptive parents was   
very informal in comparison to the rigidly structured   
Japanese society. While the other children weren't   
very concerned about it yet, Hotaru was aware of the   
levels to society that they knew nothing of, and   
often caught herself doing something like this and   
thinking before reacting.  
" What'cha doin'?" another girl asked on her   
way to the swings, giving Hotaru an idea of how   
formal or informal to be.  
" Making a sandcastle," Hotaru replied and   
added a bit more sand to one of the small oblong   
shapes she had made.   
" It doesn't look much like a castle," the   
second girl commented and moved towards the swings,   
losing interest in the project.   
" This is a real castle," Hotaru murmured in   
reply and blushed slightly as the first girl asked   
her what she meant. " We were at the beach yesterday,   
and Haruka-papa and I built a sandcastle. I looked   
through some books of real castles last night and I'm   
trying to make these here look like one I think I saw."   
" Oh," Miwako replied, puzzled but her expression   
brightened. " Can I help?"   
" Hai," Hotaru agreed, and indicated where a   
long, straight wall was to go. The other girl began   
to do as indicated, but soon became entranced by the   
marks Hoataru was making by each building.  
" What are those, Hotaru-chan?"  
" These?" she replied, momentarily puzzled   
until she realized that Miwaka mean the letters she   
was drawing by each. " Kanji."   
" You know Kanji?" Miwaka exclaimed in surprise,   
making Hotaru blush. She already knew most of the kanji   
that a junior high school student would have learned,   
and showing that she was that far beyond the education   
of a girl her apparent age was one of the things her   
three parents had warned her not to do.   
" I know a few," she smoothly lied, and Miwaka   
seemed to accept her explanation without any more   
questions. After a brief, inward sigh of relief, she   
was able to get back to her work.  
The idea and layout of the buildings had come   
to her while she was working with Haruka-papa   
yesterday. The two palaces there, the temple here   
on the other side of a central square with a tall   
tower, and a series of walls dividing the whole thing   
from where a city should have been. She couldn't begin   
to duplicate what she saw in her mind, not with the dry   
sand here, but at least she could fix the rough   
locations in her memory.  
" Hotaru-chan?" the girl asked a while   
later. " How come your daddy never comes to pick   
you up?"  
" Huh?" she softly exclaimed and looked over   
at her companion. She followed the girl's gaze to the   
parking lot and the sleek blue car that had pulled   
into the entrance. Michiru and Haruka were getting   
out of the vehicle and laughing together about   
something.  
" Oh," she went on a moment later after   
remembering the rules she had painstakingly memorized   
on the orders of her new parents. She knew that her   
life had not been totally normal, and that it was   
best to not get too close to anyone because they   
would probably be moving again in a little   
while. Still, Miwako had tried to be friends   
with her, and that had to count for   
something. " They're my parents now. My father   
and mother died when I was very little."   
She regretted the honesty as soon as she   
said the words. The other girl began to loudly   
cry. Remembering the times when she was feeling   
bad or scared and how her three parents had comforted   
her, she slid forward on her knees towards Miwako and   
hugged her, accidentally wiping away her efforts with   
the sand in the process.  
" It's all right, Miwa-chan," she tried to   
console the sobbing girl as one of the teachers   
hurried towards them and was quickly passed by Michiru   
and Haruka on a dead run. " My parents are in a better   
place now, and they loved me just like my new ones do."  
  
************************************************   
  
It was very late that night when the moaning   
sound of a gust of wind woke the child from her   
sleep. She looked around her, carefully trying to   
make sure she was fully awake before trusting what   
she saw was actually real. Her dreams often seemed   
so real that sometimes she wasn't quite sure if she   
was dreaming or awake at times.   
The image of the a city seen from above came to   
her mind again, and she furrowed her brow in   
concentration, trying to remember where she had seen   
it before.   
" Analyze it, Hotaru," she whispered faintly as   
a reminder to approach this rationally. It was too   
small and there were not enough lights in what she saw   
to make it a modern city, so it must be something she   
had seen in a book somewhere.   
As much as she tried after she lay back down to   
sleep, the picture of it kept on crossing her mind. Each   
time, she felt a jumbled rush of emotions that she   
couldn't identify due to the complexity of there being   
so many at once. Regret and sadness were the only ones   
she could clearly make out, but there were others that   
she very much wanted to find out what they were.   
Finally she threw back the covers and stood up,   
being careful not to make any noise whatsoever. She   
had quickly learned that all three of her parents were   
very light sleepers and she did not want to be disturbed   
right now. That would make her lose the picture she was   
trying to fix in her mind.   
Hotaru silently slipped out of her room and down   
the stairs on her way to her study, where her old toys   
were stored. She didn't use many of them any more,   
preferring books lately, but she still had them. A   
box of Lego was chosen and carried outside so she   
could work in some degree of freedom.   
The gibbous moon and the starlight was enough   
to see by as she walked to the backyard and stopped   
at a place she liked on the far side of the pool. It   
was cool, but not unbearably so. Her pajamas would be   
enough to keep her warm.   
What had happened earlier today had concerned   
her in more than a few ways, but Miwako's reaction had   
been the one to concern her the most. It took several   
minutes to get her friend to stop crying after she   
told Miwako that her parents had died, and that she   
was now being raised by the three women. It wasn't   
until later when she talked to Michiru-mama that she   
realized why it had upset the other girl so much. To   
her, it was just how things had happened, and while   
she missed her real parents, she loved her new ones   
and they loved her. What more was needed, she had   
asked the crying girl.  
While that was going on, however, she couldn't   
help but see the remains of what she had done with the   
sand. Several of the plastic blocks were snapped   
together as she began to build rough shapes to use   
as representatives of what she had seen. The palaces   
and temple first, and the wall followed soon after   
that. It still wasn't enough. She sighed and closed   
her eyes, recalling every detail she could and mentally   
painting a picture of what each object was.   
Why was I looking down on it, she wondered and   
suddenly opened her eyes in surprise as she realized   
that she had looked down at that scene. Before her,   
softly glowing copies of what she had seen stood over   
each of the crude buildings she had made. Tiny shapes   
lay unmoving about the plaza and a small fire had begun   
to smolder in the Palace Major as a toppled candle   
finally reached a drape that had been torn from one   
wall.   
" I must have been there," she whispered in   
astonishment and suddenly froze as a shape moved in   
the darkness.   
The thing was about the size of a volleyball   
and was shaped like one, but its edges were all short,   
jagged spikes. It was blacker than the shadows themselves   
and felt dark and malevolent, with cold eyes that spoke   
of a hatred of life and the light. In response to that   
hatred, and the fear in her own heart, the child was   
rooted to the spot and could only watch as a purple   
haze began to obscure her vision.  
" Begone, lemure," something cold and ancient   
spoke from deep inside the girl as her eyes glowed and   
unseen forces ripped the creature apart. " Nightmares   
have no place in this beautiful dream." It reached forth,   
gently blurred the line between wakefulness and sleep,   
and suggested to the child that this was only a bad   
dream. It's time to go back to bed, it reminded her   
and was pleased as Hotaru turned back towards the house,   
but the presence was worried as well. New enemies had   
appeared, and changes would have to be made.   
  
************************************************  
  
" Haruka," Michiru whispered, seeing that her   
partner's eyes were still open.   
" Hmm?"  
" Still awake, huh?" she smiled softly at the   
blonde, who nodded in reply.  
" I'm thinking of what happened today," Haruka   
said. " Or, more precisely, I'm still thinking of how   
Hotaru reacted."   
" Do you think that she shouldn't have said   
anything to the other girl?" Michiru asked and scooted   
back so that she was sitting up and leaning against the   
headboard.   
" Maybe it wasn't the best way to say it, but she   
did follow our instructions to her to the letter. We   
never said to not mention her parents."   
" I'm still surprised at how well Hotaru takes   
knowing that she lost her parents," Michiru   
replied. " You would have expected her to have   
been like her friend today, and not to have been   
comforting her."   
" Some children have a problem with relating   
to death, and some don't. Remember when we went to   
the graveyard and took Hotaru to pay her respects   
to her father and mother?"   
" Yes," she sighed, recalling that day when   
they had a headstone made for Tomoe Keiko and   
Souichi. Several other families were visiting   
graves there, and there was a wide variety of   
reactions among the children who had been there. Hotaru   
had been well behaved at the ceremony for her parents.   
" It certainly can't be easy for the poor   
girl," Haruka went on. " She knows that she lost   
them, but she doesn't let it bother her where most   
kids would be crying their eyes out over being   
alone like that."   
" I know," Michiru agreed and then softly   
snapped her fingers. " Oh, that reminds me. My recital   
with Ogura-sensei for next month was changed back   
to the morning session, so you'll have to pick me   
up. I'll make a note on the calendar."  
" You could always get your own car," Haruka   
quipped while smiling.   
" But I like having a world-class racer for a   
chauffeur," Michiru giggled and put one of her hands   
on Haruka's shoulder. " Just meet me at the music   
store like you normally do, all right?" she added   
just as Haruka had grabbed her hand and the door to   
their room swung open.   
" Michiru-mama? Haruka-papa?" Hotaru nervously   
asked as she peered in.  
" What is it, Hotaru-chan?" Michiru replied and   
tightened her hand on Haruka's shoulder to keep her   
from immediately going to the girl. Hotaru used to do   
this to get attention right after she had seemingly   
finished growing the last time, but it had been tougher   
to train Haruka out of her instincts than to get Hotaru   
to stop.   
" I had a bad dream," the child softly replied,   
her voice wavering. Haruka smiled softly, amused at the   
situation despite her concern.   
" Want to come up here with us?" she asked and   
patted the bed next to her. The girl nodded and walked   
over to get on the bed between them, making it rather   
crowded with the three of them on it. There was no   
sudden smile like they usually got from her when this   
happened, however.   
" What's wrong, Hotaru-chan?" Michiru asked and   
checked her forehead for a temperature under the guise   
of affectionately brushing back Hotaru's hair. There   
wasn't a fever.   
" A bad thing came for me," Hotaru explained in a   
quiet voice. " It went away, but my head still hurts."   
" A headache?" Michiru wondered and slid out of   
the bed and walked into the bathroom, returning a few   
moments later with a glass of water and two children's   
aspirin.   
" Thank you, Michiru-mama," the girl said after   
taking the pills and snuggling down next to Michiru.  
" Sweet dreams, little one," Haruka added as she   
and Michiru traded concerned glances, unwilling to talk   
about this with the girl there. In the morning, Michiru   
silently mouthed the words and settled down to sleep,   
knowing that it would calm the girl as well as   
herself. Haruka tried to do the same, but soon gave up,   
and was left the one to lay there and wonder about   
what was happening and how she could keep from falling   
out of bed.   
  
  
The End.  
  
  
  
************************************************************  
  
All characters are copyrights of the respective holders.  
Please send comments, etc. to the above e-mail address.  
  
Special thanks to the following...  
  
Naoko Takeuchi, of course.  
incredible characters, and artwork that can   
give rise to so many ideas from a few little   
drawings.   
  
Luna and Artemis for kind words, support, and being   
good friends for so long. Through good times and   
bad, they have been there.   
check out their page at  
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9897/  
for the best Sailor Moon fan-fiction collection.  
  
Greenbeans for being herself. all I need to say,   
really.   
check out her page at  
http://www.kfalls.net/~gbeans  
  
Jackie Chiang, sage advice, good fics and general   
silliness that lightens the spirit.   
check out her page at  
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/3741/   
  
Alex Glover for his wonderful work on the manga   
of Naoko Takeuchi. check out his page at  
http://www.nwlink.com/~kurozuki/manga.htm  
  
my wonderful betas, the real heroes  
  
Erica  
Shelley  
Helen Szeto aka lennie  
Pandora Diane Waldron  
Nikki Purvis aka JetWolf  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Intermezzo {1/1}  



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